Centrifugal trapshooting device

ABSTRACT

A TRAPSHOOTING LAUNCHER FOR DISC TARGETS HAVING A MOTOR FOR ROTATING THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TARGET LAUNCHING ARMS. THE LAUNCHING ARMS HAVE TWO SPRING DETENTS ENGAGING EACH TARGET ON EACH TARGET LAUCHING ARM. ONE DETENT IS MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE AND THE OTHER IS TRIPPED BY A TRIGGER ON THE LAUCHING ARM AFTER THE LATTER HAS ENGAGED A TRIP ABUTMENT ON THE LAUNCHER&#39;&#39;S STATIONARY BASE.

Jan. 5, 1 971 s. F. NEWILL 3,552,900

CENTRIFUGAL TRAPSHOOTING DEVICE Filed May 2'7, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Jan. 5, 1971 G. F. NEWlLL 3,552,930

CEN'ERIFUGAL TRAPSHOO'IiNG DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5:

Filed May 27, 1968 Jan.5,1 971 LRN EWM 3,552,900

taxmiFue p TRAPSHOOTING nnvrcr. Filed May 27, 1968 4' Sheets-bheet 4United States Patent 3,552,900 CENTRIFUGAL TRAPSHOOTING DEVICE GeoffreyFrederick Newill, 116 Nibthwaite Road, Harrow, England Filed May 27,1968, Ser. No. 732,191 Claims priority, applicatigr; great Britain, Aug.9, 1967,

3 Int. Cl. r41!) 3/04 US. Cl. 124-6 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThis invention relates to trapshooting launchers for projecting disctargets, known as clay pigeons.

The basis of the invention is a launcher comprising a rotary shaft withmeans for holding and releasing one or more targets under the effect ofcentrifugal force when the shaft is rotated.

The invention is therefore basically different from the commonly-usedlauncher which has a spring-loaded arm which is released to move throughonly an arc of movement to propel a target.

According to the invention, a trapshooting launcher comprises a rotaryshaft with a driving means for continuously rotating the shaft in onedirection, at least one launching arm extending outwardly from theshaft, mounted to rotate therewith and having means to support and guidea disc target to roll outwardly along and be launched from the arm underthe elfect of centrifugal force when the shaft is rotated, means forholding the disc target in the launching arm against the effect ofcentrifugal force and means for releasing the disc target.

Further features of the invention are included in the description givenbelow, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and are claimed inthe appended claims.

The use of a rotary shaft in a launcher depends upon the provision of asuitable drive and an important feature of the invention is that theshaft is driven by a hightorque, low-resistance D.C. electric motoroperated by a low-voltage battery. A very suitable motor is a startermotor as used for the internal combustion engines of motor vehicles andwhich can be run repeatedly for short periods from a 12 volt battery forexample. With such a motor drive and battery, the launcher is portableand self-contained which is an important advantage for a launcher to beused on an open range remote from any electrical mains supply. Bycomparison, an internal combustion engine for example could provide onlya relatively complicated and inflexible drive, difficult to controlinstantaneously.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated, by way of example, on theaccompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show one embodiment of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation and FIG. .3 shows a constructional detail.

FIGS. 4 to 8 show another embodiment of which:

FIG. 4 is a side elevation with half in axial section,

FIG. 5 is a plan of part of a launching arm,

FIG. 6 is a cross-section on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of a launching arm, and

3,552,900 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 ice FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sideelevation of a launching arm to illustrate a detail.

The launcher illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 3 is mounted on a base 1,conveniently the top of a case in which a battery (not shown) is housedand which can also be used as a container for components of the launcherwhen dismantled for transport.

Beneath the base 1 is mounted an electric motor 2, which is a startedmotor as mentioned above, of which the shaft 3 protrudes up through thebase 1 and carries a cradle 4 in which a pair of launching arms 5 aremounted on hinges 6 (FIG. 3) and inclined upwardly at a suitable anglewhich may be adjustably fixed by means of supporting bolts 7.

The arms 5 are of channel cross-section of a width somewhat greater thanthe diameter of a disc target 8 which rests on a pair of low-frictionrunning strips 9, on the web of the arm 5, and laterally against afriction strip 10 of rubber for example, along the inside of one sideflange 11 of the arm 5. The target 8 has a knurled or similar rim toroll on the friction strip so that spin is imparted to the target as itis launched.

To launch a pair of targets loaded into the arms 5, the motor 2 isswitched on and rapidly accelerates, rotating the shaft 3, cradle 4 andarms 5 at an increasingly speed until the centrifugal force acting onthe targets causes them respectively to overcome the frictionalrestraint of a blade spring detent 12 anchored by one end to the insideof the other flange 13 of the arm 5 and bearing tangentially against therim of the target with a load which is adjustable by a screw 14.

As each target escapes past its detent 12, it rolls rapidly along thefriction strip 10 and is flung from the arm 5 with a high rate of spinabout its own axis. The heavier the load imposed by the detent 12,stressed by the screw 14, the longer the period and the higher the speedof rotation of the arm before release and thus the greater the linearspeed and flight of the target.

As well as a switch, a brake (not shown) on the shaft 2 is preferablyprovided for manual or automatic operation after targets have beenreleased so that the launcher can quickly be stopped and reloaded.

With the spring detents 12, the direction of launching of the targets isunpredictable, which suits requirements for some uses, but there is alsoa requirement for a known direction of launching of one or both targets.

To meet this requirement, for example, one or both spring detents may bereplaced by a hinged gate held across the arm 5, to bar escape of thetarget, by a catch which projects below the web of the arm 5 to strikean abutment trip positioned on the base 1 at an angular position to beencountered by the catch to release the gate and free the target to belaunched in the required direction. The catch may be mounted, such as ona weighted blade spring, so that its path progressively lowers, undercentrifugal effect, as the rotational speed increases and does not reachthe horizontal plane of the abutment trip until a desired speed has beenachieved.

The launcher illustrated by FIGS. 4 to 8 resembles in many respects thatof FIGS. 1 to 3, similar reference numerals indicating correspondingparts, and it incorporates releasing means for launching each target ina chosen direction past a detent which is tripped to an inoperativeposition when the launching arm passes through a given angular positionin its rotation.

Instead of the supporting bolts 7, each launching arm 5 is supported bya transverse blade spring 15 which rests in inclined slots 16 in thewalls of the cradle 4 so as to yield downwardly under the elfect ofcentrifugal force on the arm as it reaches launching speed.

Each target is held between an adjustable spring detent 12 and anotherdetent in the form of a broad blade spring 17 which acts as a sear tohold the target until the arm has depressed, by downward yielding of thesupporting spring 15, sufficiently for a trigger 18, pivoted at 19through a slot 20 in the web of the arm 5, to encounter a trip abutment21 or 22 mounted on the base 1. When the trigger encounters a tripabutment it swings to allow the spring sear 17 to rest between therunning strips 9 and release the target provided that the arm 5 is alsorotating at sufficient speed for the effect of centrifugal force on thetarget to overcome the frictional restraint of the spring detent 12.

The trip abutments are mounted on the base 1, by a rotatable clampingdisc 23, so as to be set at any desired angular position about the axisof the shaft 3 and trip release of a target in the correspondingdirection.

The trip abutment 21 is simply a striking plate of a height to beencountered by the trigger 18 when the arm 5 has depressed sufficientlyunder the effect of centrifugal force beyond a given minimum valueaccording to the speed of the shaft 3. (FIG. 8).

The trip abutment 22 is a striking lever pivoted in a block 24 (FIG. 7)and controlled by a solenoid 25 so as to be raised or lowered undermanual, automatic or remote control through a switch.

Both embodiments of the launcher have appropriate electrical and othercontrols, with suitable safety devices, for the motor, release mechanismand brake.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal trapshooting launching device for disc targetscomprising:

(a) :a base;

(b) driving means mounted on said base;

(c) a rotary shaft connected to said driving means for continuousrotation in one direction;

((1) at least one launching arm extending radially outwardly from saidshaft and mounted to rotate therewith;

(e) means on said launching arm for supporting and guiding a disc targetso that said disc target rolls outwardly along and is launched from saidlaunching arm under the centrifugal force produced when said shaft isrotated;

'(f) means for frictionally holding said disc target in said launchingarm against the effect of the centrifugal force produced upon rotationof said shaft up to a given minimum value of said force;

(g) a detent on said launching arm for said disc target;

(h) trigger means carried by said launching arm for tripping said detentto an inoperative position; and

(i) a trip abutment mounted on said base in a position wherein saidabutment is engaged by said trigger means during the rotation of saidtrigger means with said launching arm, said trip abutment causingtripping of said detent upon engagement with said trigger means;

(j) said detent comprising a first spring means engaging said target,said first springmeans being movable downwardly to a target releaseposition after tripping of said trigger means by said trip abutment.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said frictional holdingmeans'comprises a second spring detent carried by said launching arm andhaving adjusting means for permitting variation in the frictionalholding load on the disc target.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said launching arm ispivotally mounted on said shaft about an axis transverse to the axis ofsaid shaft and said shaft carries said first spring means for rotationtherewith and for supporting said launching arm at an inclination, withrespect to said shaft axis, whereby on rotation of the shaft thatcomponent of the centrifugal force acting on the launching arm parallelto the shaft axis causes the spring means to deflect.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, in which control means are providedfor selectively moving said trip abutment into or out of the positionwherein said abutment is engaged by said trigger means during the travelthereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1914 Best 124--8 9/1939 Connell124-43 UX FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1956 France 1249 W. R. BROWNE, AssistantExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

